The Bledington Music Festival
The Bledington Music Festival is an annual music event which takes place over three summer evenings in the beautiful Cotswolds. We play host to top class performers from all over the world.
The 2018 festival was held June 5th, 6th and 7th.
The 2017 Music Festival took place on 6th, 7th and Thursday 8th June, read about it here.
Each summer, an increasing number of music lovers make their way to St Leonard’s Church, Bledington, a little village in the heart of the Cotswolds just 10 minutes from Stow-On-the-Wold and 40 minutes from Oxford. There are so many lovely places nearby, it’s worth staying a few days for a relaxing mini break.
We are also big supporters of Music in Education, you can find out more about how the musicians take the time to interact and introduce and enrich the musicality in students of Bledington School.
We thank those of you who attended the festival and hope to see you and many new faces next year.
News and Updates
Festival on Facebook
What an excellent day serving tea and cakes @NTChastleton today to boost Festival funds! If you came, thank you for your support, if you didn't we're there again on 3rd October!
The Festival team are at National Trust Chastleton House today, Thursday, serving up scrummy cakes, filled rolls and hot drinks. Just pop into the church next door! Mmmmm cake!
Check out ZRI - shared by none other than Classic FM! See ZRI (aka Ben, John, Max, Iris and Matthew) in June next year!
Classic FM
A chamber music masterpiece, played in the style of a csárdás...
(via ZRI - follow them for more)
This year’s performers included:
June 5th
Tues 7:30 PM · St Leonard’s Church
Alissa Firsova & Daniel Rowland: “A Romantic Sequence”
Our opening concert of 2018 sees the return of young composer, conductor and pianist Alissa Firsova alongside Daniel Rowland on the violin. More details to follow.
June 6th
Wed 7:30 PM · St Leonard’s Church
Duo Cann 4 Hands 1 Piano
The enigmatic Cann twins return to the festival for our Wednesday concert, playing pieces for two pianists on only one piano! This will include a specially composed piece to be performed with the brass players and choir from Bledington Primary school.
June 7th
Thurs 7:30 PM · St Leonard’s Church
Clare Hammond
Acclaimed as a pianist of “amazing power and panache” (The Telegraph),
Clare’s programme will include works by Haydn, Schubert, Debussy, Mendelssohn, Debussy, Stravinsky.
June 7th – Free Morning Concert
Thurs 11:30 AM · St Leonard’s Church
Coffee from 10am
David Jones – Baritone
DAVID’S ‘SONG CYCLE’ project, includes Vaughan Williams – Songs of Travel, plus other songs by local composers.
David will be cycling from John O’Groats to Lands End in aid of the charity and giving his song recital at venues and festivals along the way. We are pleased that he has chosen Bledington and we can showcase Gloucestershire composers such as Howells, Finzi and Ivor Gurney.
There will be a Retiring Collection for the charity ‘LIVE MUSIC NOW’ – founded over 40 years ago by Yehudi Menuhin and Ian Stoutzker CBE.
“Music, amongst all the great arts, is the language which penetrates most deeply into the human spirit, reaching people through every barrier, disability, language and circumstance. This is why it has been my dream to bring music back into the lives of those people whose lives are especially prone to stress and suffering… so that it might comfort, heal and bring delight.” – Yehudi Menuhin
LMN (Live Music Now) selects young, professional musicians who combine exceptional performing skills with special qualities of insight, generosity of spirit and flexibility. We enhance their skills through our distinctive approach to training and performance, and send them out into the community to perform for older people and children with special educational needs across the UK.
“..his deadpan sense of humour and immaculate timing proved irresistible”
– Opera Magazine
Festival tickets make wonderful gifts for music lovers.
Music in Education
Each year we endeavour to get the local children enthusiastic about the music and the performers through our growing educational programme and we are very fortunate to have artists willing to get involved and perform special ‘mini’ concerts for pupils of local Primary Schools.
The involvement with the local school began in June 2005 when Catrin Finch visited with her harp. The next year Chloe Hanslip visited as did the Firsova Piano Trio.
We are extremely grateful that many of the musicians also give of their time to perform a concert especially for the local school children; this is always a much anticipated event and is part of our ongoing educational programme to expose children to various instruments and music. More info…
Festival Personnel
Rodney Beacham
FESTIVAL ORGANISER
The festival organiser has a wide range of duties including liaison with and booking of a variety of performers for each year’s Festival.
Catrin Finch
VICE PRESIDENT
Catrin began learning the harp at the age of five she has been delighting audiences worldwide since graduating from the Royal Academy of Music and Drama in 2002 during this time, Catrin was appointed Royal Harpist to HRH the Prince of Wales.
Thomas Trotter
PRESIDENT OF BMF
Appointed Birmingham City organist in 1983 in succession to Sir George Thalben-Ball. He is also Organist at St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey, and Visiting Professor of Organ at the Royal College of Music, London.
A Brief History
The Festival has grown since it was established in 2000 when Thomas Trotter, the current President, gave a recital at Bledington; the popularity of that occasion gave rise to this successful three day Music Festival.
Over the years the festival has welcomed many performers. Each concert is unique and outstanding, with world class artists – we are very grateful to have their support for our festival!
We have compiled a list of performers and musicians who have featured at previous festivals please click here to view the list …
The Concerts take place at:
St Leonard's Church
Church Street
Bledington
Gloucestershire
UK
Tel 01608 658669
Email Us
Our Sincere Thanks To All Of Our Supporters this Year
